Willow Glen Resident

News

San Jose will annex smaller, unincorporated pockets first

By Monica Heger

Slowly but surely San Jose is moving forward with annexing its county pockets.

The San Jose City Council voted unanimously Aug. 8 to begin phasing in a plan to annex the 58 county pockets that are 150 acres or less over the next several years. When all pockets are annexed, the city will have gained approximately 16,650 residents and 1,534 acres.

Pockets are parcels of land in the county's jurisdiction but often surrounded by the city.

Annexation will occur in three phases, beginning with the smaller, less inhabited pockets. Phase 1 will begin before the year's end. This phase will add about 185 acres and 500 residents to the city. It includes188 residents and 7.5 acres in District 6. Phase 2 is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2007. Phase 3, which includes the Buena Vista area, will begin in late 2007 or early 2008 and will last through the end of 2008 and possibly into 2009.

The main reason for starting with the smaller pockets is that they will be easier and less expensive to annex. The larger pockets present obstacles such as conducting outreach to the residents, extending city services and making sure the streets are up to city code.

City Councilman Ken Yeager said outreach is particularly important "so people don't feel like this is a locomotive going down the track and that they are going to be smashed."

The biggest hurdle toward annexing the larger county pockets is the added cost to the General Fund, particularly for additional police services. The Santa Clara County Sheriff's Department currently services the unincorporated pockets in San Jose. The San Jose Police Department has indicated if the pockets were to be annexed without adding additional officers, service and response time would be negatively affected. The number of new officers needed to fill the gap is currently being studied. In April, city staff estimated an additional 36 officers would be needed.

San Jose is moving forward with the annexations now because of incentives that have been provided by the county and state. The county has waived the associated fees, and the state has waived the requirement that annexation of pockets up to 150 acres require a vote by the residents. The state's incentive is scheduled to expire by the end of the year, but Joseph Horwedel, acting director of San Jose's department of planning, building and code enforcement, said he is confident pending state legislature to extend the incentive would pass, because it has not generated any opposition.

For more information about county pocket annexations, visit www.sanjoseca.gov/planning/annex.